Overview of grant location, and why you selected the restaurant:
I chose Room4Dessert in Ubud, Bali, Indonesia as my Grant Location. As a pastry chef I rarely experience or have the opportunity to learn about the fundamental ingredients used in everyday production, for example, flour, sugar, chocolate, tropical fruits, etc. I have worked alongside savory chefs for the majority of my career who are fortunate enough to use ingredients that are found locally and buy directly from farmers. While I do have this luxury with some fruits and heritage grains grown in the Midwest, I wanted to venture to the roots, (literally), of my craft. Another deciding factor was to train under Chef Will Goldfarb and his team. Chef Will has a prolific career, and his restaurant has received many accolades throughout Asia. I knew learning under him and his team would advance my skills, knowledge, and networking.
Description of your internship, roles, responsibilities, etc:
As an intern I was only allowed to prep and did not see service. This is right where I was hoping to be while staging. The restaurant is open 6 days a week and every employee works every day that the restaurant is open. The kitchens are separated between savory prep, pastry prep, and the service kitchens. These consist of 3 different buildings. In addition, each prep kitchen had an indoor cooler prep kitchen, as well as an outdoor kitchen. The outdoor kitchen is used for heat sources of every kind - grill, stove top, ovens, smoker, etc. This was new to me, and the running between essentially 6 kitchens made me realize I had to work intelligently and quickly.
When I first started my stage I was given the tasks of dough prep and the daily production of baking and producing mignardises. Each week I was able to take on more tasks and responsibilities. I worked closely initially with Chef Paul who came from Valhrona in NYC, & then with the R&D Chef Lucia and Chef Vivi. They are both extremely knowledgeable and their energy fills the whole room. They reminded me a lot of myself back at my home kitchen at Spoon and Stable. After the first two weeks I worked closer with the remainder of the staff. They are extremely hospitable and the hardest working people I have ever met.
During the 3rd week of my stage I was responsible for training a new employee. This felt as if the leaders trusted me and my skill set. This was a bit of a challenge as there was a huge language barrier. Luckily, the new employee spoke Spanish and I knew just enough to dance around words and definitions. I would also like to note that the good thing about food is that it is a universal language. After this, I was able to transfer my current responsibilities to the new employee to explore more areas of the pastry kitchen.
I eventually was able to work my way through the remainder of the prep tasks, as well as assist with some recipes for the new concepts the chefs were working on. This opened me up to the vast range of fresh ingredients they use daily, like yard length cinnamon and a variety of fruits I have never even heard of, nuts that are only indigenous to Indonesia, and produce grown in their very own garden just outside the restaurant.
By the fourth week I felt as if I was a true member of their team. I was trusted to help train the other staff on techniques and recipes as the majority of the prep team were still apprentices themselves. This felt good to me and familiar.
The fifth week was a bittersweet experience. I felt responsible for the success of the daily prep list and it was hard to say goodbye. However, I needed to continue my educational journey on the fundamentals of Balinese ingredients, produce, and cooking. I was able to book a farm tour with one of the restaurant's suppliers to a cocoa plantation. This was incredible! I saw so much more than just the process of cocoa. I also saw the Balinese countryside untouched by electricity. The amount of hard work and dedication that goes into these farms and produce production is unreal!
Details of what you learned throughout your internship:
I am very excited that I went on this internship at the time that I did. I learned so much more than just technical skills and ingredients. I learned humility, patience, adaptability, and perspective. I was given the tasks of mixing doughs and baking mignardise, cutting fruit, tasks that I ask of my daily prep staff back home. I was excited to work through a prep list again and coming back to basics was a fun and difficult challenge.
Patience and adaptability go hand and hand. Although every recipe was in English, the language barrier was a huge factor. People were coming from all over the world with different accents, and meanings were up for interpretation. I learned to adapt to my surroundings, challenge myself and work in their environment.
This stage has helped me continue my career’s journey and purpose. I have always wanted to be in a leadership role and share my knowledge from my own experiences. Being in a creative field is a never ending journey of constant learning, humility, and perseverance.
Summary of your achievements, and how this grant opportunity helped you to advance your skills:
I am so pleased with choosing Room4Dessert for my stage location. I enjoyed my time with the entire team! It was sad to leave as I felt like part of the family towards the end. This opportunity has helped broaden my knowledge of ingredients I have been using for over 10 years in my career. It also helped me challenge my comfort zone and step outside of a controlled environment. I have had my current job for 8 years, which is a long time to stay in one place. Being taken out of a controlled environment helped me advance my troubleshooting skills and adaptability.
